Morning, donuts. It's been a while. I've been out of the loop between work being busy and my weekend being equally as hectic. Stopped in to catch up on reading posts yesterday, then never got time to post myself.
Still in a running rut. Partly because of weather and the darkness so late in the mornings and early in the evenings, partly because of being so busy, and another part because my alarm and I haven't been getting along in the morning. It's extra nerve racking considering all the Christmas cookies around me. One positive out of this is that the cutback should help with other issues I've been having that I won't share for the sake of the guys here.
Docket: I'm glad you found your cat safe! I know the feeling of terror when a pet bolts! ha
+1 to bago talking about shortening your stride. It helps your feet land under you, rather than in front of you, thus lessening the chance of you landing on your heel/hyperextending your knee when you strike. I sent cbus a bunch of exercises my PT used to have me do a few weeks back on this board--I still do them to keep the ITB from getting hurt again.
I'm going to head out for 5 at lunch today. Fingers crossed I don't come back smelling like a hoagie since I have an Inns of Court meeting after work today.
My PR's! 5K: 21:54 | 10M: 1:16:55 | HM: 1:43:40 | Full: 3:51:56
2013: BQ or bust!
http://justalongfortherun.blogspot.com
Docket, that is great that you found your cat.
Cbus, good luck on your therapy, hope the pain is worth it
That is pretty cool that you seemed to hit on a trend with the stride vs. ITBS issues. Do you see the stride shortening thing as a temporary solution to get everything feeling better, or is it a long term change you need to make to keep the ITBS away?
I had computer problems yesterday so I wasn't able to post, but I am really excited after my 4.5 mile run yesterday (planned 6, but got going late). I averaged 8:57 and my HR was only at 123 (67% HRR). My HR at that pace hasn't been that low since almost 4 months ago. I had some small injury issues after that point and I am pretty sure now that I changed my form after the nagging injuries to compensate. Recently I realized that I was bending over at the waist, which I shouldn't be doing, and since I have consciously been trying to fix that my HR has been decreasing and is more in line with what it was before I got hurt. I hope that is a good sign for future endurance and decreasing race times. 8x600m @ 5k intervals on tap for later today.
PRs: 10k-44:36 (10/12), HM-1:44:55 (4/13), FM-3:41 (10/13)
Rusk Runner
If you overstride, shortening your stride should be a permanent goal. There is an awful lot of literature and video on this subject. Much like Nick says not bending at the waist helped him, leaning forward at the ankles is an integral part of the POSE method of running, which also promotes shortening your stride. I took all of this information pretty seriously as I was feeling every ache, pain, and running malady possible due to doing too much too soon. Once I started paying attention to shortening my stride, forefoot strike, posture, breathing from the diaphram, etc... I started enjoying running alot more.
PRs...5K - 20:36, 4mile - 26:15, 13.1 - 1:32, 26.2 - 3:42
Just Run!!!
Whippet
Docket- so glad to hear your cat is safe!
Akalei- Hope you get out at lunch today! I've run a few times at lunch but i always smell rank and have to shower.
Ami- the gym w/ childcare makes sense...I belong to an inexpensive one right now but one day when we have kid(s) the childcare one will be key
NND- I don't know what made the ITBS go away besides graston - I know I did stop overstriding, which I was doing before.
Indiana- I haven't been for a massage in ages- normally I just go to chiropractor too because it is covered by my insurance. This place had a great BOGO offer for new clients, so I jumped on it. It's a straight sports massage place- no frills and less than the gyms around here.
5 miles @ 9:22 for me this morning in the rain. I'm starting to enjoy the dark rainy mornings out there on the road - just me and the other crazies (luckily enough of them to feel safe). I'm pretty tired now though- the dog didnt' want to get up this morning. Just seeing him made me tired.
13.1: 1:45 | 26.2: 3:55
Good morning! 1 hour of stepmill intervals this morning at the gym. It along with the elliptical and bike will be my best friends for a bit because...
I seriously jacked up my calf/soleus on last Saturday's 10 miler. Got 4.5 miles in and it dropped me like a stone. My routes are rolling hills and I had been going along just fine until I went up one and it started to tighten up. Got to the top and tried to stretch it out. Took a few jogging steps and BOOM. It seized up from the ankle to the calf. Here's the BEST part. It was an out and back route from the house. DH was running trails and it was 30 minutes before I could get him. Soooo....I walked/limped 2 miles before he got to me to pick me up. NOT a good day.
It's getting better, but I'm guessing it'll be at least a couple of weeks before I can even think about running again. My trainer and massage therapist think it's a small tear given the tenderness and swelling. I'm the RICE queen right now along with hating the stick and foam roller. Guess I made the classic mistake of not being completely healed before trying to run normal mileage. Arrgghh! I am glad it's nothing more serious though. I can walk okay, the achilles wasn't injured, and I can do all other cardio. Gotta look on the bright side.
Docket: Glad you found the kitty. I would've been out of my mind.
ITB sufferers: Hope you all heal up soon! I feel your pain...sort of I guess...just in a different area!
PRs: 1:38:10 (HM) 3:32:46 (FM)
Nick, my understanding is that if you are having issues related to stride length, then permanently shortening your stride is the way to go. It's not hard to do, and it becomes second nature really quickly. Be aware that there are advantages and disadvantages with shortening your stride. One disadvantage that people focus on, of course, is that you are not covering as much distance per stride which would suggest that your speed decreases. But there are advantages too, like increasing the power of each stride, reducing the energy needed by the rest of your body because your upper body is centered better, being able to keep your stride more consistent on different terrain (e.g., hills and trails), and, what might be the biggest, being able to keep your training more consistent by reducing downtime due to injury. The point is, shortening your stride can, paradoxically, make you a stronger, faster and happier runner.
I guess my curiosity about shortening stride length to reduce ITBS was starting with an assumption that you were not overstriding to begin with. If someone with ITBS issues has the perfect form and stride length finds that they can shorten their stride length (to the point where some form expert would look at the person and think their stride length is a little bit too short and choppy) and reduce or eliminate the ITBS, then is that something that you would continue to do? Or would it be just a temporary measure? I guess probably there isn't a good answer there and it would depend on the person and how they responded to other options.
Morning!
6 easy for me today. This week is going to be actually pretty non-stressful - three 6 mile runs at recovery pace spread throughout the week, with a 14 mile easy run tomorrow, and a 16 w/12 at MP on Sunday. So really only one day of intensity, and it's part of the LR - I can't imagine the easy 14 will seriously stress anything but my sanity since it will be dark and cold whenever I do it. I'll probably do it after work, since I'd rather run in 28 degrees than 18, assuming that the snowstorm doesn't change course and start early. This whole "marathon training in the Minnesota winter" thing is getting kind of old :P
Indiana - that is an EARLY run. I do not have that kind of run in me, I'm impressed
Docket - so glad you found your kitty!
Cbus - good luck on the ITBS therapy. Injuries are so darn frustrating.
Akalei - hope you get out of your rut! I totally get you on the weather thing - it is not motivating to run when it is freezing cold and dark.
mdawg - hope your calf feels better!
In regards to Crossfit - I could never do it around here. It's $240/month for a couple at the local Crossfit gym, and all it has is Crossfit, with nothing else. So we'd have to keep our gym membership if we wanted access to treadmills, spinning bikes, pool, etc, which is another $70 a month on top of that, $110 if the month is really busy and we don't get the $20 rebate from our insurance company for going 12 times/month. Too expensive for my taste. Sucks, because I think it has some really interesting aspects to it.
My wildly inconsistent PRs:
5k: 24:36 (10/20/12)
10k: 52:01 (4/28/12)
HM: 1:50:09 (10/27/12)
Marathon: 4:19:11 (10/2/2011)
Canuck
Morning all. It is hard keeping up with you guys in the pacific time zone! By the time I get here, there are at least two pages. SRD yesterday for me, going for a massage today at lunch. Thankfully, massage therapy and physio are covered by my extended health plan. Snowed here last night, but doesn't look like it is going to stick, warming up to 40 later and will probably rain. Will run some miles tonight, haven't decided how many yet. Getting a little bored with all of the easy running, but only two weeks left until I start marathon training.
Docket - glad you found your kitty.
Banshee - sorry you missed your workout - where did everyone go?
mdawg - ouch! Hope your calf heals up soon.
ami - wish my gym had a waterpark!
PRs: 47:54 (10K); 1:46:36 (HM); 3:50:52 (FM)
Recovering from injured knee (PCL/Lateral Meniscus)
Former Bad Ass
Damaris
race obsessed
Not exactly, but it has to do with the natural biomechanics of our lower leg systems.
The one issue I have found only occurs at high speed: there is a point in speed where you simply can not increase your leg turnover or the turnover you have actually becomes more taxing than lengthening your stride slightly.
I imagine leg construction being slightly different for each of us means that occurs at different speeds. I have found my personal leg turn over limitation ie: when I naturally and must break into a slightly longer stride occurs around a 6:00. However, even though I break into a longer stride it is still not stretched out and I keep my feet strike under me.
Nick, that raises the theoretical question of whether there is an ideal stride length and the practical question of whether it can be determined. Also, I would imagine that it could vary over time. Putting aside those imponderables, just off the top of my head I'd think that if you shorten your stride to the point that it feels consistently uncomfortable and uncoordinated, then that's not a long term solution either. I say "consistently" because at first it will feel uncomfortable and uncoordinated, but that passes quickly. To put this all in perspective, the stride length comment that started this was my recounting of a comment from my physical therapist to me when I injured my ITB. So it was case-specific. Your case may not match mine in all respects. To the extent that it doesn't, I can only blabber at you and hope for the best.
White Lightning
Docket, I experience the same thing, except when I'm purposely running slow, then it feels like more work
I go back and forth on the stride thing. When I have higher turnover, I seem to have less injuries. But, higher turnover at slower paces seem to take the same energy as the same turnover at a faster pace.
When I ramp up to HM pace and faster, my legs want to go even faster, more in the 95 range and it feels good. So should there be a sliding scale? When I ran my HM training run last October and my last mile at 6:49, I was hitting 97 spm. My first mile at 9:44 was 91 spm. As each mile went faster, my stride sped up.
Curious if anyone else wears a footpod with their Garmin to see what their stride is doing during races compared to training
Ankle is really sore this morning, not sure if i'll be running today or not
Play the Game Hard!
Success! 6 at lunch and I don't stink! At least I don't think I do. Maybe I should ask my secretary for an honest opinion. Man, was it ever windy down by the river, too. Now I don't feel bad eating so many Christmas cookies today.
Docket: I noticed the same thing when I shortened my stride, too. It's weird, but I don't complain
Sprinkles: kudos to you for running in the rain. Unless it's 85 degrees out, I can't handle rain. And for running at lunch... aren't NY lawyers supposed to be locked in their offices all day?
mdawg: hope you feel better! at least you're being smart about it and resting it. Quicker recovery!
Very interesting. I've never seen discussions about strides, ITB, and speed, before. I wonder if it has been studied.